An introduction to Flintknapping with Dr. James Dilley

Times

10am – 4pm.

Price

£110 + booking fee, includes all materials and light refreshments.

Need to know

Suitable for Adults 16+ (only 8 spaces)

Lunch not provided.

Students on the workshop must wear full length trousers and closed shoes. PPE will be provided.

Discover the art of the oldest craft in the world: Flintknapping. How did prehistoric people make tools to survive the Stone Age?

The oldest flint tools found in Britain date to around 1 million years ago, the latest around 3000 years ago so you will have the chance to try your hand at a process used for 99.7% of human presence in Britain!

Experimental archaeologist Dr. James Dilley will guide you through the process of making your own flint tools to take home.

You’ll start with learning about flint, how it formed and what tools people used in the past to work it. After a brief health and safety briefing you’ll start your journey with core and flake technology. This is where you’ll learn how to strike flint using a pebble to get it to flake successfully. The next step will be making flake tools like scrapers, piercers, knives and saws which will test your strike accuracy and discipline. The last challenge of the day will be handaxes and working flint on two sides to make a bifacial tool. As well as a hammerstone, you’ll use an abrader and antler hammer.

This workshop is an introduction to flintknapping where the aim of the day will be for attendees to go home with a variety of different stone tools they have made, new flintknapping skills and a new appreciation for prehistoric technology.

The workshop will begin with an introduction to the materials of flintknapping as well as a health and safety briefing. The workshop is made up of three stages: core & flakes, flake tools and handaxes. Each stage will start with a demo and talk-through by James. Students will be able to take home everything they make in the workshop.

Image © Emma Jones - AncientCraft